


Take a break

by Bleedandfightforyou



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex has anxiety, Alex lives with George, Alex needs protecting, Everyone’s favorite fighting French man, Fluff, Laf is worried, Lafayette and Washington are dads, Lafayette and washington care, alex in hospital, alex is overworking, hamilton is a child, washington is angry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-06-17 20:46:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15469719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleedandfightforyou/pseuds/Bleedandfightforyou
Summary: Alex works himself so hard, he wakes up in hospital. George takes him home and helps him on his path to recovery.





	1. New rules

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first series. Please let me know what you think :)

Hamilton wakes up to an annoying beeping sound. He looks around and sees a tense Washington, President of the United States, glaring at him. Why is he in hospital? Why is Washington glaring at him? 

“Sir” Hamilton says trying to sit up only to have Washington place a hand on his shoulder and effortlessly hold him down. A doctor comes in and breaks the staring competition happening between the two men.   
“Mr. Hamilton I have your test results. Has Mr. Washington filled you in on what happened to you?”  
Before Alex could open his mouth Washington chimed in “no I haven’t” he glanced back to Alex and sighed, anger evident on his face “I’m going for a walk, you fill him in” he left before anyone could say anything.  
“Okay then” the doctor said after Washington left, pulling Alex from his thoughts “we did tests and have concluded that you passed out from dehydration, of course you could have lasted a couple more days without water but the lack of sleep and food didn’t help”   
“I passed out? Is that it? Why is he making a big deal out of this then?” Alex said in a disbelieving tone. There are people who actually need medical attention and they were wasting time on him.  
“Alexander, clearly you don’t see the consequences of not taking care of yourself, you almost died, it’s a miracle you didn’t” the doctor scolded him like a child. After half an hour of the doctor lecturing Alex on the importance of food, sleep and water, and talking about the effects a lack of it has had on his body, the doctor left leaving Alex alone. Alex felt exhaustion deep in his bones and tried to fight sleep but it was no use.

When he awoke, Washington was back and still glaring daggers at Alex, after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence with Washington’s unblinking gaze still on him, Alex decided to say something “sir, the doctor told me what happened but honestly I feel fine”   
“Oh you feel fine do you? Well then of course I’m just being stupid and overthinking this” Washington was trying very hard to keep his cool but the anger was burning red hot and wanted out.  
Hamilton cleared his throat “sir I’m sorry, I know I should take better care of myself and I will, I promise”  
“Don’t make promised you can’t keep, son” Washington said in a cold tone “I can’t believe you Hamilton, I told you to take a break and you refused to, disobeying a direct order. I don’t know what to do about you. Clearly you can’t be left to your own devices, you’ll kill yourself” Washington turned his back to Alex and took a deep breath. Alex only noticed now that he had been crying, he didn’t mean to upset the president like this, but then again why did Washington even care this much about him, he’s just an obnoxious, arrogant, loud mouthed bother. But the look on Washington’s face was not one he would soon forget.  
Washington looked at Alexander, noting the hollowed cheekbones and dark bags under his drooping eyes, and sat down in a nearby chair. Alex didn’t know what to say but luckily the tense silence didn’t last long, the door opened, Alex really wasn’t in the mood to have nurses and doctors poke, prod and lecture him at the minute but this woman who walked in wasn’t wearing a nurses uniform.

Washington stood up and put an arm around the woman “Alexander this is my wife, Martha”  
She smiled at him, she had a friendly smile, the kind his mother used to have. “Hello dear, I’ve heard a lot about you”  
Alex glanced over at Washington who had a slight blush rising in his cheeks.  
“Hello Mrs. Washington.”  
“Please, call me Martha”  
He smiled at her and wondered why she was here, he’s sure that there’s plenty of good moments to introduce someone to your significant other but while that person is lying in a hospital bed recovering from a “near death experience” might not be the best time.

“Alexander, since you clearly don’t know how to take proper care of yourself” Washington said sternly giving Alex a pointed glare “I have a proposition for you, you can either lose your job, effective immediately, or you can take a break, a long one, for the sake of your health. I would prefer if you went with the latter but this is entirely up to you”   
Alex thought he was going to have a tough choice but this proposal seemed easy to get through. There was no way in hell he was going to give up his job, but he could work from home, lay in bed and type up new ideas, catch up on work, it was getting better and better every second he thought about it.

“Okay fine I’ll take a break” Alex said almost immediately after Washington stopped talking.  
Washington chuckled knowingly “Alex let me finish, that’s not the whole deal. During your break you come live with Martha and I in our estate”  
“I don’t want to impose sir” Alex said giving a meek look towards Martha who smiled at him with pity in her eyes   
“You won’t be imposing, Alex. I have spoken with Martha and she agrees that it’s best for you to have help and supervision so you can get healthy again” Washington spoke with an air of parental concern.  
“Okay” Alex replied, his voice quiet.

The next couple of days blurred together in a haze of nurses forcing food down his throat and doctors lecturing him about stuff he didn’t care about.  
Alexander woke early the next day, 4 hours of sleep surly that is enough. He grabbed his phone and browsed the news websites and did research on topics he would like to pull apart and improve on. It was 10:47 am when he decided to have a shower. He gets to leave today. 

As he finished using the bathroom and got dressed and ready to leave, Washington arrived. As Alex entered his room, he saw Washington packing the few things he had with him into a bag.   
“Morning” Washington said in a much happier tone than the last time they spoke  
“Good morning sir” Alex said cautiously, not wanting to be lectured again.  
Washington chuckled while giving a friendly smile to Alex. “Are you ready to leave? I packed your things while you were in the shower”  
“Yes sir” Alex looked at the bag Washington was packing and frowned when it looked almost empty “are you sure that’s all my things sir?”  
“Other than your old clothes, yes this is it” Washington looked back to the bag “I must take you shopping, Hamilton” After Alex put his old clothes in the bag, Washington picked it up and turned to Alex  
“Please sir, let me take that, I don’t want to be more of a burden” Alex went to take the bag but Washington held out his free hand and held Hamilton’s bag over his head so Alex wouldn’t be able to reach it “Alexander Please, you’re not a burden and besides, the bag has virtually nothing in it”  
Alex blushed and let Washington carry the bag. 

Washington escorted Hamilton out of the hospital to his car. It was a nice car, new and shiny. They got in but Washington didn’t start the car yet. As Alex put on his seatbelt, he felt Washington looking at him.   
“Sir, is everything okay?” Alex asked scared of getting another lecture about how “idiotic” his actions have been.  
“Alex, son, during this break I want you to focus on getting better, we will give you freedom but not as much as you used to have. When we get to the house, I will talk you through the rules and conditions of your stay, but I want you to give this all you got. Be smart, make me proud son.” Washington turned back to the steering wheel of the car and started it.

During the car ride, Alex didn’t say much, Washington didn’t push a conversation and they listened to the radio. Alexander thought about what Washington said to him before they left and started thinking of ways to sneak some work with him and just be the exact same but get better, obviously it was stupid, if he had to follow Washington’s rules then no work was definitely going to be one of them. Alex felt bad for even thinking about trying to get around the rules after Washington’s little speech. After a few minutes, a thought struck Alex “Sir, what about the rest of my things?”   
“Don’t worry Alex, I went to get them yesterday, it’s all waiting for you at my house”

The car came to a stop outside some large gates leading to an even larger house. Alex let his mouth fall open, the house was bigger than any house he had ever seen. Washington was clearly well off. Washington laughed at the look on Alexander’s face.

After getting a tour of the house, Washington and Alexander were outside Alex’s room “you have ten minutes to get unpacked and settled in and then I want you to meet me downstairs in the dining room” Washington said in his dominating commanding general way “don’t be late”  
“Yes sir” Hamilton entered his room. It was big with a nice soft bed. Alex looked around and got used to his new surroundings pretty fast. Alex spent the remaining minutes thinking of ways to work without the Washington’s knowing.

10 minutes later:  
“Now Alexander, while you’re staying in this house you must follow certain rules.

1\. Always tell us the truth

Were not here to fight with you, just help and support you Alex but if we can’t trust you then you won’t have much freedom 

2\. You must eat in the dining room

You’ve lost a lot of weight since you started overworking, Martha is an amazing cook so dinner will not be much of an issue

3\. No working without supervision

You nearly died from work so this is pretty self explanatory. Now we’re not going to deprive you of work either so you can only work for half an hour 3 days a week with me present and if you prove that we can trust you not to overdo it then we might make that time longer.

4\. No electronics

I don’t want you to be working while you’re supposed to be sleeping so I will take you laptop and phone, you can have them back for 30 minutes each day with supervision. When you want to use them, come ask me.

5\. Attitude will not be tolerated

Just like that eye role, any form of disrespect to me or Martha will not be accepted. So no sassy comments, or tantrums when you don’t get your way.

Son, I know I might sound strict with all the rules and taking away a lot of your freedom but you have to understand you almost died, I don’t know what I would do if I lost you. If you break the rules you will be punished, now please bring down your electronics” Washington made Alex feel like a 5 year old. He didn’t need all these stupid rules and the threat of being punished, he’s not an idiot, but still Alex gathered up his phone and laptop and brought them down to Washington who was still seated at the table.  
“Thank you, don’t worry. No one is going to use them” Washington said looking at a slightly pouting Alexander.

“Dinners ready, are you?” Martha entered smelling of sauce and spices. Alex’s mouth started watering, he sat down in the chair opposite George while Martha brought in three plates and a big bowl of curry. Alex let George and Martha dig in first and then took a small amount of the curry, about half of a normal serving. George looked over at his plate and gave Alex a look that clearly said “are you serious, after everything I said”, Alex took a bit more, still not the same amount as George or Martha but he wasn’t going to eat that much anyway.  
“So” Martha said breaking the awkward silence “Alex tell me a bit about you”  
Alex spoke about where he was born and his mother, he left out the hurricane and his father, he spoke about meeting George in the army and being promoted to his right hand man, he spoke about John Laurens with tears behind his eyes, he spoke about work and what he was overworking on and then he spoke about future plans.   
“Of course those plans won’t be met if you don’t get better” George said with a stern voice.  
The rest of dinner past pleasantly, Martha spoke about how she and George met, they shared some anecdotes about their pasts, Alex felt like he was getting comfortable here.


	2. Oui oui mon ami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight and introducing everyone’s favourite fighting Frenchman

At 1:00am Alex was lying in bed willing himself to go to sleep but it was no use. He felt tired but he just couldn’t sleep. He knew it was going against Washington’s rules but he took out a notebook and pen and started writing. By the time he felt like he couldn’t stay awake anymore he had written 28 pages front and back. He closed the notebook and hid it back in his bag under all his clothes. He looked at the alarm clock beside his bed, 4:57. He climbed back into bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

The next morning he woke up at 9:15, slept more than he normally would, he decide to write for half an hour. The next time he looked at the clock, 3 hours had past. “Shit” He got dressed and went downstairs to find George sitting in the living room reading  
“Good morning, sir”  
“Good morning , Alex. You know you don’t have to call me ‘sir’”  
“Sorry, habit I guess.”  
“I’ll make you breakfast, you missed it this morning” Washington smiled  
“Yeah, the bed was really warm, I didn’t want to leave”

After eating and drinking 3 cups of coffee, Alex and Washington sat in the living room watching tv and just relaxing. Alex didn’t know what to do with himself, he’s not used to doing nothing. He stayed in the living room until the end of the news and then he went upstairs to write some more of what he was working on last night and that morning. 

After a while he checked the clock, 4:28. He decided to go downstairs so he could work without feeling guilty.  
“George? I was wondering if I could have my laptop back now?”  
“Sure, what are you planning on doing on it?” George got off the couch and went over to a drawer in the corner of the room to where Hamilton’s laptop was  
“Oh just, you know, some research maybe write a bit” Alex said, hoping Washington wasn’t going to change his mind about letting Alex have his laptop.  
“Okay, you have half an hour before I take it back”

Alex didn’t waste any time, he immediately powered on his laptop and logged in, going straight to an open tab about the current economic state of America. Alex worked faster than he ever had before writing like he needed it to survive. George sat and watched Alex for a bit, it was fascinating.   
After half an hour George’s phone alarm went off, he turned it off and faced Alex, preparing for the fight that was soon to come.  
“Alex”  
No answer  
“Alexander” George said louder  
Still no answer  
“Alex your time is up”  
No answer  
“Alex, give me the laptop, the 30 minutes are over” George’s voice became stern and commanding.  
Alex didn’t want to disobey but he also didn’t want to give back his laptop so, again, he didn’t answer.  
“Alexander, give me the laptop now, I won’t ask again”  
“Yeah, in a minute, I’m busy just leave me alone” Alex sassed, why couldn’t washington see that he was working and wanted to be left in peace?  
“Alexander” Washington’s voice was dangerous, the last time his voice was like this, he was giving out to Lee after his disgraceful performance during the war. This caught Hamilton’s attention. He looked up over his laptop screen and saw George with his hands on his hips looking at Alex with anger and disbelief.  
“I’m sorry, but I’m so close to finishing this. Please just another minute.” Alex begged  
“No, you’ll be lucky if you get it back tomorrow” Washington took the laptop, saved the document and shut it down “ you disobeyed two rules, go to your room” Washington pointed in the direction of Alex’s room.  
“Sir, I’m not 5” he scoffed at Washington’s command, Alex stood up to seem a little more adult despite the size difference.  
“Don’t make me repeat myself again” Washington took a step closer to Alex, getting in his personal space thus intimidating Alex to obey his command “go to your room, now”  
Alex trudged off, it could have been worse; Washington could have sent him to the corner like an actual toddler, then he would be truly embarrassed. Still Alex didn’t want to be treated like a child, he decided to go to his room and work on what he was writing in his notebook .

George knew that there was going to be a fight over the laptop but still, he couldn’t believe Alex sassed him. With Martha’s upcoming holiday to Rome with her friends for a girls trip, he was definitely going to need back up and he knew exactly who to call.

When dinner was nearly ready, Washington went up to speak to Alex. He knocked on the door and waited for a second before Alex allows him to enter.  
“Son, dinners going to be ready in a few minutes”   
“Okay, Sir, I want to apologize for my actions earlier. I was just so engrossed in the work, when someone tries to take it from me I tend to get a little snappy. I’m sorry”  
“It’s okay, I forgive you”  
“Thank you, Sir”  
“I know you are truly sorry but your actions still have consequences, you’re not allowed the laptop back tomorrow” Washington felt guilty at the look on Alexander’s face as he said that.  
“Okay” Alex sounded crestfallen.  
“Boys, dinner” Martha called up the stairs  
“Come on, lets eat” George said trying to lighten Alex’s mood

“Oh Martha, I don’t know how I’m going to survive without you on you trip, this is delicious” George flattered  
“Yeah, I’ve never tasted anything better” Alex smiled   
“Oh boys, you flatter me”  
“When is your trip?” Alex said while taking another bite of his meal  
“I leave tomorrow at 12. I can’t wait, I haven’t seen my friends in so long”

The next day, Alex George and Martha were all in the foyer saying goodbye to Martha before she left.  
“Goodbye darling, have a safe trip, call once you get there”  
“Of course, there are leftovers in the fridge, just pop it in the microwave” Martha kissed her husband and turned to Alex  
“Goodbye Martha, hope you have fun” Alex said as Martha embraced him in a hug  
“I will, sweetie. Now while I’m gone I want you to try your best to get healthier, when I get back I want to see some meat on your bones” Martha gently scolded  
“I’ll try” Alex smiled, It was nice having people who cared about him.

The rest of the day was uneventful. George sat down for dinner, they had a nice conversation until the doorbell rang. Washington got up, knowing exactly who it is. Alex stayed in the dining room and ate his dinner until he heard a familiar voice. He got up and slowly followed the voice, it couldn’t be, it was.

“Lafayette?” Alex ran to his friend and hugged him “what are you doing here?”  
“Hello to you as well, mon ami. I am here because I got a call from George talking about an idiot he has to look after” Lafayette scolded and raised his eyebrows  
“Oh” Alex said quietly, not meeting Lafayette’s gaze.  
“Expliquez-vous mon Cher” Lafayette sounded angry despite the pet name.  
“I’m sorry, I just got caught up in my work, I didn’t mean for it to get this bad” the height difference between Alexander and Lafayette made Alex feel like a naughty child again.  
“We’ll talk about this later” Noticing how Alex hung his head, Lafayette decided to change the subject “so who is going to have the honor of showing me to ma chambre?” George chuckled   
“Right this way Marquis”. George showed Lafayette to his room and returned a few moments later to get another plate of dinner ready.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were inviting Lafayette around?”  
“Son, I knew I was going to need help looking after you while Martha is away and who better than Lafayette, I remember the way he would mother you during the war” George gave Alex a small smile  
Alex laughed at the memories “I remember one time, it was raining heavily and you called for me, Lafayette wouldn’t let me go to your meeting incase I got sick from the rain. You were angry with me until I mentioned him”  
“Haha yes I remember that, I thought it was very unlike you to ignore my call but the second you mentioned him I knew that he probably had you pinned down so you couldn’t go” they both laughed.  
“What’s so funny mes amis” Lafayette walking smiling at his friends happiness.  
“You, Lafayette” George said with a smile  
At that moment Alex’s stomach decided to demonstrate an impression of whale noises, earning a concerned parental look from the taller men.   
“Come on mon Cherie, let’s eat” they all went to the dining room and told stories of the good times during the war. Alex was happy to have his friend back but worried about the work in his notebook, with Lafayette here, he was more likely to get caught.

Over the next few days, George noticed Alex was happier. He was distracted and didn’t even ask for his laptop once. Alex had an old friend and the only motherly figure in his life since his real mother passed.   
Alex noticed he wasn’t asking for his laptop or attempting to do any work during the day, he didn’t have time, he was so busy hanging out with Lafayette , who always seemed to be able to get his mind off of work in a heartbeat.  
Lafayette noticed a big change in Alex’s attitude since he got here, compared to what George told him over the phone. Still the dark bags under Alex’s eyes were ever present, if anything they looked like they got darker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The French is from my 5 years of study but it’s still probably terrible


	3. Cats out of the bag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lafayette and Washington are sick of Hamilton’s shit

“Good morning” Alex walked in yawning, heading straight for a warm jug of coffee  
The two men looked up as he entered, their conversation immediately ending “bon matin, mon Cher. Did you sleep well?”  
“Yes I did” lie “and you?”  
“Oui” Lafayette still looked a little groggy.  
Alex yawned for the fourth time in two minutes, the other men looked concerned, like they wanted to say something.  
“Is everything okay, you two seem … distant?” Alex wondered if they knew he hadn’t been sleeping, at night was the only time he got to work without distractions so he didn’t want to waste a second of it.  
“Non, it’s nothing” Lafayette waved a hand as if he was brushing something away  
After a moment George turned his back to the food he was preparing, not meeting Alex’s gaze “actually, Alex, something is wrong” George met Lafayette’s gaze as if egging him to say something “Lafayette and I, we were talking and we’ve notice that you seem, if possible, more tired than before.”  
“Oh, well I have trouble sleeping sometimes, it’s nothing to worry about”  
“Alexander” Lafayette spoke sternly “do you think we’re stupid? We can see that you clearly haven’t been sleeping at all.”  
Alex hung his head, refusing to meet their eyes.  
Lafayette’s tone softened “talk to us, what’s keeping you up?”  
“Nothing’s keeping me up, I just … “ Alex didn’t know what to say, he still didn’t meet their eyes.  
“Okay, that’s it” George now was the one who was angry “Alex obviously something is keeping you up so…” he turned to Lafayette “we tried talking to him, so now it’s my plan”  
Alex’s eyes widened, what was George’s plan? Was he going to hurt him? Alex felt his breath quicken. Lafayette sighed as George walked over to the door. “Alex, we’re going to search your room” Lafayette put an arm around Alex, holding him tightly so he couldn’t run after George.  
“Alex, last chance, anything you want to tell me?” Lafayette sounded accusing as if he already knew.  
“No” Alex preyed that George wouldn’t find the notebook.

After half an hour of George searching Alex’s room and Alex having a few more cups of coffee, Alex turned to Lafayette, who now stood by the exit, blocking Alex from leaving, “Laf, there is something that I…” before Alex could finish, George came back to the kitchen “Lafayette dining room, now” saying he sounded angry would be an understatement “don’t even THINK of moving” he pointed at Alex for emphasis.  
Alex felt panic rise in him, either he hadn’t found anything and he was sick of Alex’s poor excuses or he found the notebook and he was preparing to tear Alex a new one.

“What’s going on? Did you find something?”  
George put the notebook on the table and opened it showing all the pages that Alex had used since he got there  
“Mon Dieu” Lafayette took the notebook looking at all the pages “what should we do?”  
“I don’t know, I thought he just shouldn’t live alone, clearly he can’t be left in a room on his own” George breathed heavily, willing himself to calm down  
“D’accord, if he wants to act like a child, hiding work and lying to us, then we should treat him like one”  
“Exactly” George went back to the kitchen to get Alex

Alex was shaking, he didn’t know what to do but he didn’t want to make things worse. As he entered the dining room, Lafayette straightened up, standing to full height, he bit the inside of his cheek trying to stay calm.  
“Sit” George indicated to the chair opposite him and Lafayette, Alex didn’t argue  
“Care to explain” Lafayette sounded emotionless despite the anger in his eyes  
“I … uhh … it’s not what you think” Alex stuttered  
“Not what we think, huh?” George spoke up “well what we think is you’ve been up at night, writing in this notebook, doing work.” He inhaled deeply “Alex, What’s rule number 3?”  
“No working without supervision” Alex lowered his gaze and stared at the notebook  
“Exactly, you broke that rule, broke my trust. What’s my number one rule?, the most important rule”  
“Always tell the truth” Alex felt his eyes sting with tears  
“Always tell the truth” George repeated, he shook his head in disappointment.  
“Alex, you have made it très obvious that we can’t trust you so we have spoken about your punishment and since you have decided to act like a child, we have decided to treat you like one” Lafayette looked to George who nodded “we have decided that you’re grounded. You’re not allowed to have your laptop or phone, you’re not allowed to work and since we can’t trust you to stick to your punishment, you are going to have constant supervision”  
Alex looked up at the two men, Lafayette looked angry, like he wanted to slap Alexander, he unblinkingly glared at Alex. George looked exasperated and disappointed.  
“I’m so sorry” Alex let the tears fall down his face, he can see that he hurt them.  
“I can barley look at you” George shook his head and sighed “go to your room, one of us will be up in a minute to talk to you more about your punishment”  
Alex didn’t fight this time, he was happy to leave.

“It’s okay, with one of us constantly around him, he won’t be able to do anything stupid”  
George chuckled a little “Lafayette, that’s what I thought when I invited him to stay with me”  
Lafayette smiled at this “we shouldn’t leave him alone too long, you want to come?”  
“No, I need to calm myself, I’m going for a walk”

Lafayette went up to Alex’s room, he heard Alex crying so he just walked in and didn’t bother to knock. He saw Alex sitting in the corner of his room on the floor curled up into a ball, crying. Lafayette immediately embraced him in a hug, shushing him, trying to calm him down.  
“It’s going to be alright”  
“I’m..so sorry, I’m such an idiot, I don’t want to hurt myself anymore, I want to get better but I’m just so stupid”  
“Non, don’t say that, you are one of the smartest people I know. George and I are not here to make your life hell, we want to help you”  
Alex’s breath started getting steadier as he calmed down  
“Alex, I love you and I don’t want to see you do this to yourself. Please, let me help you.”  
Alex was reduced to just sniffles, his crying had stopped.  
“Are you going to talk to me about my punishment?”  
“Oui, are you ready to talk about it?”  
“Oui” Alex responded gaining a smile from Lafayette for the French.

Alex and Lafayette moved to the bed  
“Okay well, for your punishment, you’re not allowed any internet access or your phone or laptop, do you understand this and why?”  
“Yeah, it seems fair”  
“You’re not allowed to leave the house without both of our permission” seeing the confusion on Alex’s face, he went on “we can’t trust you to go out and not work. Fair or not?”  
“Yeah, I suppose” Alex was a little annoyed at this but he didn’t want to fight them again  
“Okay, since you worked without our knowledge or permission, you’re not allowed to be by yourself. Either George or myself will be constantly with you. When George gets back he’ll move another bed in here so someone can sleep with you. Wherever you go someone will be with you, si vous voulez utiliser la salle de bain, then one of us will wait à l’extérieur de la porte. D’accord?”  
“Okay” Alex was glad that they wouldn’t watch him in the bathroom.

Feeling exhausted, Alex fell asleep. Lafayette smiled worryingly, “how long has it been since he slept?” Lafayette thought. He turned on the tv that was facing the bed and put his arms around Alex, holing him while he slept. After a while George came back from his walk he came up to Alex’s room and smiled at the sight of Alex and Lafayette snuggled together. George came in and sat on the bed and put his arm around Alex, careful not to wake him.  
“Well, did you talk about his punishment?” George whispered  
“Oui, he agrees with the terms” Lafayette smiled “he really is sorry George”  
“I know, god I didn’t know raising Alexander Hamilton was going to be so hard but I’m not giving up on him”  
“Ha, well he is notre petit lion, and he’s had enough people leaving him, we shall not add to that list”


	4. Repercussions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex has anxiety

Alex woke up, feeling better than before. He realized he was being held by someone so he looked up to see Lafayette asleep, it was all coming back to him, he fucked up and got caught, Lafayette spoke to him about his punishment and then Alex was so tired he just fell asleep in Lafayette’s arms “well this isn’t the first time” he thought to himself and smiled. He nudged Lafayette so he woke up  
“Morning, sleepyhead” Alex cooed at a groggy Lafayette  
“Ugh, what time is it?” Lafayette asked stretching  
“Umm 5:47pm” Alex said looking at the clock on the wall  
“Oh, mon petit, we must get something to eat” Lafayette said as he noticed Alex’s stomach rumble

Once Lafayette and Alex were in the hallway, they smelled the dinner George was heating up for them.  
“Oh mon dieu, that smells fantastique” Lafayette basically moaned at the smell  
Alex hopped up on the countertop and George turned to him  
“And how are you feeling Alex?”  
Alex blushed “I’m fine, sir. I’m so sorry about earlier, I just couldn’t stop…” Alex felt tears run down his face as he spoke but he was cut off by George hugging him and telling him to calm down.  
“Shh now, none of that. Look dinners ready, let’s go eat in front of the tv?” George knew he should be strict and not let Alex cry his way out of the punishment but his face was so sad and down that George just wanted him to know that he could count on them to help him.  
“Okay” Alex sniffled  
“Come mon Chou” Lafayette had his and Alex’s dinner in his hands and escorted Alex out to the sitting room  
“So what shall we watch?”Lafayette and was immediately bombarded with several requests coming from both Alex, who bounced up and down like a small child, and George, who was trying to get his requests heard over Alex’s shouting. Alex ended up picking.

They ate dinner and stayed on the couch for a few hours after  
“Okay” George stood up and clapped his hands, turning to Alex “bedtime”  
“What? It’s only 10:30” Alex said, a bedtime? Really? Alex wasn’t as surprised as he thought he would be.  
“Yes it is, so it’s bedtime for you” George said with a hint of his stern tone peeking through  
“I’m 22! I’m not a child. I don’t need a bed time!” Alex stood, feeling embarrassed and rebellious, Lafayette stood and went next to George, making Alex realize how outnumbered he is.  
“Mon petit lion, please don’t fight us on this, I’m staying in your room tonight. Let’s go” Lafayette extended a hand to lead Alex away before he said something he didn’t mean.  
Alex hesitated, looking up at the two men, but he finally gave in and took Lafayette’s hand as they walked upstairs. As Alex took a shower, Lafayette took the opportunity to change and get ready for bed.  
Alex stood in the bathroom staring at himself in the mirror “oh fuck! No wonder they found out!” He looked terrible, like he was about to collapse. He had bags under his eyes the color of coal, his cheekbones were sticking out, his skin was grey, his lips were a tinge of blue. He looked like a corpse. He looked… kind of like he always had.

After his shower, he settled into bed and said goodnight to Lafayette who was determined to stay up later than Alex. He rolled over and pretended to be asleep and stayed that way until Lafayette’s breathing evened out and he was softly snoring, which took longer than Alex expected. Alex was overcome with something he had always been able to ignore with work, his thoughts!

*  
God, they hate me, I’m such a burden.  
But if they hate me why would they take care of me?  
They’re too polite and awkward to tell me to fuck off  
That makes sense, if George told me I was a burden, he would still have to see me at work, unless he was planning on firing me  
He is definitely going to fire me when I become too much  
What about Lafayette, he doesn’t have a mean bone in his body?  
he would silently suffer through my presence, smile and laugh like nothings wrong  
He wouldn’t do that  
He must be regretting coming back from France.  
*

Alex fell into an uneasy sleep in the early(ish) hours of the morning, starting to feel like he overstayed his welcome.  
Later that morning he woke up and his mind immediately went to the train of thought he had last night, he silently got up not wanting to wake Lafayette, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. He returned to his room half an hour later to a disgruntled and angry Lafayette   
“Mon petit, where did you go?” He slightly shouted, hands on his hips and raised eyebrows  
“I went to the bathroom Laf” Alex said, trying to look as innocently adorable as possible  
Lafayette huffed and took a step closer to Alex, who instinctively took a step back, and said “part of your punishment was that me and George know exactly where you are, you should have told me, I wasn’t going to not let you go”  
“I’m sorry” Alex tried to sound genuine but he was starting to get annoyed at this punishment  
“It’s okay, I was just worried about you”  
Alex felt a pang of guilt, he didn’t want Lafayette worrying over him

Later, Alex, George and Lafayette were in the kitchen making breakfast  
“Can we eat in front of the tv again?” Alex asked hopeful  
“Sure, Lafayette go set it up”  
“Of course” Lafayette walked out of the kitchen  
“Oh, I’ll choose what we should watch. I was thinking….” George heard Alex’s voice talking to Lafayette as the went into the sitting room. “For someone so smart, Hamilton did have a tendency to act like a child” George thought but smiled at Alexander’s enthusiasm.  
When George entered the living room with the food, Alex was once again bouncing up and down half shouting requests to Lafayette, who just stared fondly waiting for Alex to calm down.  
“Alex, my boy, you have to decide on one thing, we can’t watch everything at once” George smiled at alex who fell onto the couch in an over dramatic fashion and requested a movie which Lafayette obediently put on.   
The three ate in silence except for the occasional commentary from Alex who had seen the movie 27 times before. Alex was the first to finish his breakfast, closely followed by George. They sat close to each other, Lafayette holding Alex who snuggled into the warmth.


	5. Good news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait with this chapter. I have been so busy recently with back to school and all that jazz. Hope you enjoy it.

A few hours later George shouted up the stairs to Alex and Lafayette “Okay, we need to go shopping, anyone want to come?” He picked up his keys pausing at the door as Alex and Lafayette emerged  
“Can I?” Alex’s voice was small, he was scared of getting turned down, George smiled softly “of course you can” Alex returned his smile “Lafayette?”  
“Sure, just going to use la salle de bain”  
As they waited for Lafayette to return, they sat in the sitting room  
“Anything in particular that you want?”  
“No, I just think it might be a good idea to go outside for once, I haven’t been outside in nearly three weeks”  
“Oh, oh God yeah, you’re definitely coming then, and we might go for a walk in the park”  
“Oh that sounds fun” Alex smiled like a child who found out they were going to feed the ducks  
George smiled at Alex.  
“Okay, allons y” Lafayette said, making his presence known  
“Okay, out to the car” George got up ushering everyone out

In the car Alex was quiet, uncharacteristically quiet. George looked at him through the rear view mirror worried, Lafayette glanced back then shared a look with George.  
“Mon Chou, are you well?” The worry clear in his voice  
“What?” Alex sounded a little out of it  
“You’re being trés quiet”  
“Oh…I just…I don’t know what to say” he stuttered  
“Alex, are you sure nothing is wrong?” This time George spoke up  
“I’m fine guys seriously” Alex still didn’t meet their gaze  
“You can talk to us” Lafayette reached back and held his hand in a gesture of support  
“Nothings wrong” Alex’s voice was quiet  
They dropped the subject, clearly he wasn’t going to talk

When they pulled up to the shop no one had spoken since that brief conversation.  
Once everyone was in the store, George grabbed a trolly and with Lafayette helping pick out nice foods and Alex just silently following with his hands in his pockets and his hood up looking at the floor, looking antisocial. Once they had everything they wanted and were back at the car putting away the shopping, they stopped and just looked at Alex until he looked up meeting their eyes  
“Okay what’s going on? why are you upset?” George looked around spotting a few people staring their way  
“I’m not” he said simply, hoping to end the conversation.  
“Believable” Lafayette muttered earning a glare from Alex  
“Just drop it. I’m fine” Alex rolled his eyes   
“Hey, don’t roll you’re eyes at me, what’s with this attitude?”   
Alex was about to say something but judging from the look on his face, it was going to end up in a fight.  
“Enough” George decided to become a commanding general again if it will get him to talk, he held back a smile as he noticed both Alexander and Lafayette straightened up at his command just like when they were in the army  
“Seriously I’m fine, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this”  
“Rule one Alex” George said simply  
“Always tell the truth, sir”  
“So why aren’t you?”  
Alex took a breath which was harder than it should have been  
“I don’t want to be more of a burden than I already am, why don’t you just tell me to get lost?” Alex’s eyes stung with tears and Lafayette pulled him into a hug  
“Oh mon Cher, you are not a burden please don’t think like that”  
“Alex why would you think that? Why would you think we would ask you to leave?”  
“You get so mad at me, I’ve been nothing but trouble. I know you guys just don’t want to be rude”   
“Alex” George looked confused and taken aback  
“Mon petit” Lafayette looked close to tears  
“No stop, just tell me the truth” Alex half shouted   
George grabbed Alex and roughly pulled him into a hug   
“You are not a burden, Alex, I’m not letting you leave and I’m not kicking you out”  
Alex looked up at him, tears freely flowing down his face now   
“It’s true Alex” George continued “yes you’re a shit sometime and yes sometime I have to resort to shouting or childish punishments like sending you to your room to get your attention or for you to see the consequences of your actions but I’m here to help you Alex and you may think that you haven’t made any progress but I can assure you that you have. You eat 3 meals a day, you drink less coffee, you haven’t overworked yourself and I’ve noticed that you’ve been happier” he paused and looked to Lafayette  
“Perhaps we should tell mon petit lion what we discussed last night, oui?”  
George smiled at Alex’s confused face  
“Alex, son, we were thinking, because you have been so good recently and because you’re taking this punishment well, that we are going to drop your punishment” Alex beamed at this “and I’m going to let you go back to work” Alex started jumping up and down  
“Ohmygodareyouseriousyouwontregretthisreallyimeanitimnotgoingtoletyoudownagainipromise”  
“Alexander please take a breath” George laughed “when would you like to start?”  
“As soon as possible” Alex couldn’t stop smiling   
“When we get home, we are going to discuss some terms and conditions and then you can come to work with me tomorrow”  
“I promise, I won’t let you down again” Alex was beaming  
“I know you won’t, son”   
Lafayette had to hold onto Alex so he wouldn’t get overexcited and run around the car park.  
They all put the rest of the shopping in the boot and went home, the trip to the park completely forgotten.


	6. Ink and coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex goes back to work :)

The next morning Alex was up and ready to go to work, with about 4 hours of sleep, at 6:30am, he just had to wait for George to get ready. He may have mentioned that they would be going to work at about 12 but it’s never to early to get ready, Alex was really excited.  
“Mon petit, comment vas tu?” Lafayette walked in making Alex look up from his coffee  
“Lafayette you’re up early” Alex looked up confused   
“Mon Chou it’s 10 o’clock, are you well?”the concern was evident in Lafayette’s voice  
“Oh, yeah, of course I am…just..” he trailed off refusing to look up at Lafayette   
“How much did you sleep last night?” Lafayette sounded stern, the hand rubbing Alex’s back stopped  
“I slept Laf, you don’t need to worry about me, I’m not a child.” Alex rolled his eyes and got up to refill his coffee mug but Lafayette stood in his way, looking down at Alex with his arms crossed  
“Alexander, don’t you dare use attitude with me, I asked you a question, I want an answer”  
“I slept a normal amount. I haven’t seen George this morning so I thought it was earlier” lie Alex was up until 2 in the morning getting ready to go back to work  
“Don’t lie to me” it was clear Lafayette wasn’t going to let Alex pass until he told the truth  
“Okay okay, I slept like … six or seven hours” Alex was lying through his teeth but Lafayette looked slightly convinced  
“Why so little mon Cheri” Lafayette reached out to push a stray piece of hair behind Alex’s ear  
“I don’t know, just…I never really slept that much anyway so…” Alex awkwardly trailed off  
“I’ll put this down to being excited to go back to work, I won’t tell George” Lafayette smiled as Alex let out a breath.

Half an hour later, George, Alex and Lafayette were eating breakfast and discussing Alex’s work.  
“I will give you a certain amount to do and how long I expect it to take, breaks included. I want you to take regular and decent breaks throughout the day. We won’t be staying all day, just a few hours to get you used to it again”  
“Mon petit, promise us that you won’t overdo it.”  
“I promise, guys seriously I’m going to be fine” Alex said trying to get them to stop their fussing   
“Well if you break that promise, I will make sure you don’t get to go back for a long while” George sternly threatened   
“I understand, I know I fucked up…” Alex began  
“Language” Lafayette lectured  
“But I’m not going to do that anymore” Alex gave a glare to Lafayette for the interruption then gave an adorably innocent look to George.

Alex and George arrived at the office and Alex was overcome with a need to work, work harder than he used to because of how long he had been away, but he suppressed the feeling and hoped no one noticed.

“Well well well, look at you. And here’s me hoping you had been fired… or better” Alex rolled his eyes and suppressed the urge to turn around and slap him in the face. Jefferson, how could he have forgotten about that arrogant, condescending, intransigent piece of shit. Of course Jefferson had to wait until Washington was out of earshot.  
Alex ignored him and just continued walking, he could feel Jefferson’s eyes on him until he turned the corner.

Alex walked into his old office and let out a breath. It still smelt like ink and coffee, a smell Alex would never tire of. His desk was a mess, and everything was covered in a layer of dust, not that he ever cleaned when he was here, the room was dark, just how he liked it when he would work on his computer. Alex didn’t know where to start, should he tidy or just knock everything to the floor and get on with working.   
Alex thought back to a few days ago when he had clothes on his bed which he forgot to hang up, it was late so Alex decided to throw everything into the corner. Lafayette saw what he was doing and gave out to him for a solid hour about taking care of his possessions.   
Lafayette ended up hanging up all of Alex’s clothes while Alex pretended to listen to another one of many lectures he’d been given that week, that was only Tuesday.

Alex decide to tidy everything away. He started with the papers on the floor which he separated into two piles, keep and discard.  
After about half a hour of still tidying the papers on the floor George walked in  
“Oh, I was wondering why you hadn’t come to get your assignments for the day”  
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that”  
George looked around at the office and sighed “you know, this is why I told you to clean up as you work, so this wouldn’t get out of hand”  
“I was always a bit preoccupied, but now that I can’t work that much, I thought I might do a bit of rearranging” Alex looked around the office, feeling a little overwhelmed.  
George was about to say something but before he could. The door opened and Hercules Mulligan walked in “you’re back!” Herc embraced Alex in a hug. Once he let go Herc began the lecture “What the actually fuck is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? I told you to take a break, you refuse. I ask you if you’ve eaten, you say yes. I ask if you slept, you say yes. So those were clearly lies. I can’t believe you, Hamilton. You could have died. I was so worried about you, I thought you got kidnapped or worse.i had to hear from Lafayette about how you were, you couldn’t pick up the phone?” Hercules stoped for a breath, George took the opportunity to say something  
“Hercules, that was actually my fault, I took his phone so he wouldn’t be distracted from his recovery”  
“Oh, okay” Herc still sounded really angry but he was calming down a lot.  
Alex decided to say something “Herc, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you angry or worried. I just … didn’t want you to think of me as a child who needs babysitting” Alex still didn’t make eye contact and his voice was getting smaller and quieter with each word.  
Herc felt a pang of guilt for making his friend think so little of himself “Alex, it’s okay.” Hercules put his arms around Alex who leaned into the warmth. George stayed silent, watching how close the two were. He had notice that the men were really close but he had never noticed how much they cared for each other. “I better get back to work, Alex when you’re ready, come get your assignments” George nodded to the two men and left.  
Hercules still didn’t let go of Alex yet and Alex made no move to get free. Herc looked around the office “I don’t have much work left, do you want me to help clean up?”  
Alex looked up and smiled “sure, I could use the company”

The two sat on the floor and sorted out the papers, catching up on office gossip, bitching about Jefferson “he fell in the staff room, here look I got it on video” and making plans for the three of them to meet up soon. Alex missed his friend, missed how easy it was to genuinely laugh and smile.


	7. The heist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex steals back his laptop for the night

On the way home, Alex told George about everything he did at work and how much he missed it. He was talking so fast, George had a hard time hearing where one word ended and another began.  
“Alexander, calm down. Take a breath, I’m glad you had a good time today. Are you ready to relax on the couch and not work for a good few hours?” George was worried that now Hamilton was working again he might slip into the same routine.  
“Umm.. yeah I guess” Alex sounded disappointed that he had to stop  
“We’re ordering Chinese food tonight, you can pick what we watch again” George tried to lift Alex’s spirit. Alex spent the rest of the car ride talking about what he wanted to watch.

After they had eaten and the movie finished, Alex pretended to be tired and went to bed, Lafayette didn’t sleep in his room anymore after the punishment was lifted. Alex got changed and ready for bed but he didn’t go to bed.  
He sat by the closed door, listening, waiting for Lafayette and George to go to bed. He eavesdropped on their conversations for a while   
“I don’t know if he’s going to fully commit to getting better after today. You should have seen him in the car, he was talking about how much fun he had and how much he missed working. The look on his face when I said that we were going to relax when we got home, it was so helpless”  
“Oh George, Alex has come a long way in his recovery. He’s doing very well. Maybe we should tell him how proud we are” Lafayette always knew what Alex wanted  
“Yeah” George said through a yawn “I’m so tired, goodnight Lafayette”  
“Bonne nuit, George”  
Alex heard George walk past and into his own room, Lafayette went to bed after seeing if there was anything on the television worth watching, there wasn’t.

Alex waited half an hour before he opened his door. If he got caught, he’d be so fucked. He stuck his head out, checking if the coast was clear. He tip toed down stairs and over to the drawer where George had put Alex’s laptop. It’s not considered stealing if it’s yours, right?  
Alex slid the drawer open and quickly took out the laptop. He was about to head back upstairs when he saw a shadow, someone was awake and judging from where the shadow was, the shape and the knock on his bedroom door that followed, it was Lafayette checking in on Alex.   
Shit. Shit. Shit. Alex shoved his laptop back in the drawer and, as quietly as possible, he ran into the kitchen.   
Lafayette had noticed that Alex wasn’t in his room so now he was heading downstairs.  
Alex didn’t bother being quiet as he pretend to get a glass of water.  
“Mon petit, I was so worried. I checked your room but you weren’t there.”   
“Oh je suis désolé, laf. I was just getting a drink”  
“Are you okay?” Lafayette took Alex’s hands, forcing Alex to look him in the eye  
“I’m feeling a little sick after eating so much. I’m fine, you don’t have to stay up with me”  
“Actually I wanted to ask how Hercules was doing, I heard he helped you tidy your office”   
Lafayette gave Alex a soft smile which Alex returned  
“He’s doing great. He actually wants to get together, just the three of us”  
“Really, oh we must do it soon. You don’t have work Sunday and I can ask Herc to take some time off work”  
“Yeah” Alex said through a yawn  
“Oh mon petit, you shouldn’t be up if you’re tired. Come on let’s go to bed”   
“Oh actually I really did want a glass of water”  
“Okay, goodnight Alex” laf turned and began to walk out of the kitchen but stopped and once again faced towards Alex “I’m proud of you, Alex. You’re doing fantastique”  
“Thanks laf” Alex smiled, he has wanted to hear those words for a while.

Alex waited until he heard Lafayette’s door close. Then he went back to the drawer and took out his laptop. “Oh I’ve missed you” he whispered. He felt a bit guilty after what laf had said but he has too much unfinished work. He tip toed back upstairs and into his room.  
He let out a breath, feeling like James Bond. He jumped onto his bed and immediately was swept into his work.

He looked up from his laptop to check the time, 7:57am. “Oh shit”. George was going to be downstairs in 3 minutes, the man worked like clockwork. If Alex was fast, he wouldn’t get caught.

Alex ran down the stairs as quietly as he could and raced into the sitting room. He shoved his Laptop in the drawer unceremoniously and turned around. Coming out of the kitchen was Washington, looking confused.  
“Alex, what are you doing?” He was still holding the spatula.  
“Oh I was just coming downstairs, I didn’t think anyone was up.” Alex looked flustered, he looked a tad bit guilty as well.   
“Oh, I woke up early. You want some breakfast? It’s bacon and eggs” George still looked suspicious but was just trying to change the subject.  
“Umm…yeah in a bit, I’ll just get changed then” Alex started awkwardly walking towards the stairs  
Washington just watched him, confused.  
Shit  
Shit  
Shit  
“Oh shit” Alex said quietly to himself when he was in his room “he’s gunna find out” Alex started wringing his hands and pacing.   
There was a knock at the door. Everything slowed down. Alex was a dead man. George is going to kill him.  
“Mon ami, are you up yet?” It was laf. Alex took a breath and answered “yeah I’m up, come in if you want”   
Laf opened the door to see Alex pretending he wasn’t on the verge of a panic attack three second beforehand. “George is cooking breakfast, it smells delicious, and you need to eat before you go to work” Lafayette smiled and grabbed Alex’s hand to drag his downstairs  
“You know I can walk by myself laf” Alex smiled and rolled his eyes, he knew how laf got when it came to breakfast.  
At Alex’s words laf stopped walking and turned to look at Alex. Wordlessly, laf picked up Alex and brought him into the kitchen bridal style. Alex started laughing, he couldn’t remember the last time he properly laughed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s so short but chapter 8 is much longer. I’m on midterm holidays right now and am currently working on chapter 9 so I hope to get a lot done. Thanks for reading ❤️


	8. Get in loser, we’re going shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shopping time! (And Alex has a mini tantrum)

Sunday came faster than Alex expected. He and laf were waiting outside the shopping centre for Herc. Alex didn’t sleep the previous night and was hoping that no one would notice his hands shaking due to the lack of sleep so he shoved them in his pockets.

“So mon petit, how are you?” Alex could tell Lafayette was asking to genuinely find out what he’s thinking but Alex was too exhausted to get into that deep of a conversation.  
“I’m fine, how are you?” Alex looked up to see Lafayette looking at him like he already knew everything Alex was thinking.  
“I mean really how are you? I don’t want some small talk answer, I want to hear how you feel and what you’re thinking about” Lafayette reached his arm out and pulled Alex close to his side. Alex didn’t protest, it was one of the best thing about having a friend that was way taller than you.

“Honestly laf, right now I don’t know how I feel. I feel like I should be working but I feel like I should just relax, I feel like if I don’t get something done then the entire day has been a waste and I shouldn’t have even gotten out of the bed. But sometimes, the was you all look at me makes me feel like you’re just waiting for me to spiral again but sometimes it makes me want to get better and start working a normal amount. I want to make you proud.”

Alex sounded close to tears as he spoke the last few words. Lafayette hugged him closer and gently said to him “mon Cheri, I will always be proud of you. The amount you have achieved in such a short time is amazing. You managed to go from needing to work every second you’re alive to being able to take a break when you need to. I did think that George was a bit extreme with getting you to live with him and then taking away all your electronics and making you follow rules but we both know that you aren’t a child and we can trust you to behave and admit and apologize when you don’t.” Lafayette smiled gently, Alex could feel the support. 

Alex decided that when he goes home, he might tell laf about the computer and the work he did when he wasn’t supposed to.

“Ahhh mon ami!!!” Laf called out and started waving. Alex looked up to see who Lafayette saw and it was Hercules, smiling broadly and walking up to Lafayette to give him a hug.  
“Oh man I’ve missed you, French fry.” Herc hugged laf tightly and then rubbed his hair, purposely messing it up, something he used to do all the time when they were in the war. Lafayette huffed, pretending to be mad, while he fixed his hair. “I would stay mad at you but it’s been too long” laf put his hands on Herc’s and Alex’s shoulders and guided them into the shopping centre. 

The first place they went was a clothing store. Alex never really went to clothing stores that often, he would only go if he was seriously running low on clothing, which wasn’t very often seeing how he used to not move for hours on end. Herc ran off to look at the pants so Alex just awkwardly follow Lafayette around the store.  
“Oh mon petit, come here. Yes, this would definitely suit you.” He held the jacket up to Alex and started muttering about how it would compliment his figure or something like that “what size are you? It would be a crime if you didn’t have this.”  
“Oh, laf I can’t afford that” Alex looked at the label and saw that it was €145 and that was on sale.  
“Nonsense mon Cher. I’m going to buy it for you” laf looked at Alex and guessed his size because he knew after mentioning that, Alex wouldn’t tell him his size.  
“No laf, I don’t need it I have a jacket already”  
“Pfft, this? Non, this will not do in the winter, you will freeze.” Lafayette walked off before Alex could say anything else but Alex knew it was pointless arguing with laf once he had made up his mind.

The three of them went to a café and sat down to properly catch up. Laf had taken the requests and went up to order what they wanted, leaving Herc and Alex together.  
“So I have to admit, I really missed our French fry.” Herc said smiling  
“Yeah but like he’s going to leave again and go back to France so don’t get too attached” Alex didn’t mean for it to come out that way and was relieved when Herc chuckled instead of giving out.  
“Oh Alex always the pessimist. Seriously though, laf’s not going to leave forever, it’s not like you will never see him again when he does. He calls and Skype’s all the time, it’s like he never left sometimes.” Herc gently smiled at Alex, knowing how he gets at the thought of someone leaving.  
“I don’t know Herc, it’s just not the same.”  
“If you feel this way, talk to him. He knows just as much as I do, if not more, about how you get with separation.” Alex looked up at this and met Hercs eyes. Of course they knew, well it’s not like Alex hid how he felt very much anyway and the two of them are like dads to him. Including Washington, Alex has 3 dads that actually care about him. Why was he only realizing this now?

Laf returned with their orders and the conversation changed immediately. Herc got a mocha and a tuna and sweet corn sandwich, laf had a pumpkin spiced latte and a chicken salad and Alex got an americano, when he asked for a triple espresso, and a chicken fajita wrap, which he didn’t ask for at all. Alex was feeling a bit sick, he didn’t know whether it was because of the excitement of having Herc and laf here or it was the fact that he was feeling overwhelmed with this trip.  
He could feel his energy depleting from the socializing and the shopping and just wanted to be back in bed but he didn’t want this day to end.

Lafayette and Hercules started chatting about something Alex didn’t really care about so he started drinking his coffee, and pushing around the wrap on his plate, he started thinking about work and what he was going to write next so he could keep some intrusive thoughts at bay. That was when Alex noticed that laf and Herc were both quickly glancing at the empty cup of coffee that Alex chugged in 2 seconds and the still uneaten wrap on his plate. He knew they were both having a completely different conversation to the one Alex was hearing because he could see the subtle eyebrow raises and the quick widening if the eyes, he didn’t know what they were saying but he’s been around them long enough to know when the conversation isn’t real. 

If Alex doesn’t take a bite out of his wrap, they will say something. But Alex just wasn’t hungry. It’s not like that’s something to get mad over, he just doesn’t want to eat anything right now, he’s not a child he can decide if he’s hungry or not on his own.  
Alex started feeling a bit rebellious, he knows that everyone is just trying to help him but he has had enough! From now on he is going to work when he wants to, take a break when he wants to and take his life back! Fuck these guys! 

Alex got out his wallet under the table and checked to see how much he had in change, he had enough for the triple espresso he originally wanted. He put his wallet away and got up from the table  
“Where are you going, mon petit?” Lafayette’s voice broke through the determined thoughts of his coffee  
“Oh, I’m just going to the bathroom, back in a sec.” Without waiting for a reply Alex set off.  
Once he got his coffee, he returned to the table and set it down, pleased that he got coffee but a little scared of the looks from Herc and laf.  
“I thought you were going to the bathroom, Alex” Herc was fixing Alex with a stern look, Lafayette was wearing an matching look.  
“Oh yeah I did, then I got the coffee I originally wanted” Alex said, fixing them with a look of not giving a fuck. He picked up his coffee and drank nearly all of it in one go. Herc and laf once again shared looks with each other.  
“Oh my fuck, can you to stop? I’m not a fucking child, God I’m sick of everyone acting like I can’t look after myself” Alex sat back in his chair, crossed his arms and unintentionally pouted.  
“I think it’s time to go home then” laf turned to Herc “sounds like someone needs a nap”  
Alex hated when Lafayette and Hercules would talk about him like he was a toddler throwing a tantrum. Herc and laf got up and laf grabbed Alex’s hand leading him outside.

Once they had exited the shopping centre, laf invited Herc back to Washington’s house, which he accepted, then they all made there way to the car.


End file.
